EPA Hosts Roundtable Discussion with Data Center Coalition on Clean Air Resources and Energy Reliability
WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened a roundtable with the Data Center Coalition, led by senior Trump EPA officials, to discuss how the rapid growth of data centers can be harnessed to make the U.S. the AI capital of the world while keeping energy prices low and ensuring clean air, land, and water for all Americans. During the discussion, EPA program office leaders detailed regulatory and operational considerations related to the nationwide data center build-out, including clean air requirements and ensuring grid reliability, and officials also hit on the valid concerns in many communities about data center development and what the agency is doing to ensure these concerns are appropriately addressed.
Making the U.S. the AI capital of the world is a key pillar of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative. The Trump EPA is committed to ensuring U.S. data centers and related facilities are powered and operated in a clean manner with American-made energy. The roundtable with DCC represents a critical step in delivering on that commitment.
“Ensuring clean air for all Americans, advancing cooperative federalism, and making America the AI capital of the world are all pillars of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative. In the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), we are diligently working to ensure we move these goals forward, and do so as quickly as possible,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air Aaron Szabo. “At the end of 2025, my office launched the Clean Air Act Resources for Data Centers webpage to provide data center developers, local communities, and Tribes with a central location for Clean Air Act-related resources. EPA will also be announcing permitting reform to cut burdensome red tape in the near future. We are doing all of this with one goal in mind—help Americans successfully build data centers while following the law and ensuring human health and the environment are protected.”
“EPA is committed to furthering AI development and accessibility for local communities and developers. This roundtable supported coordination across the Agency and engagement with industry on how clean air considerations and energy reliability intersect with infrastructure development,” said EPA Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Pouya Lavian.
“The Office of Water was pleased to participate in today’s roundtable with the Data Center Coalition. Water is a critical input supporting the datacenter and AI revolution happening in the U.S. We look forward to continuing the conversation and exploring opportunities for EPA and the private sector to work together on policies that both reinforce the nation’s position as number one in AI while strengthening water resources,” said Deputy Assistant Administrator for Strategic Initiatives Caitlin McHale.
President Trump’s Executive Order 14179, “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI),” boldly calls for America to advance dominance in technological innovation through the creation of an AI Action Plan. “America’s AI Action Plan,” released in July 2025, is comprised of three pillars—innovation, infrastructure, and international diplomacy and security—that provide the foundational framework for victory in this hypercompetitive global race. EPA is focused on strengthening America’s energy foundation and ensuring our nation remains the global leader in AI and the infrastructure that powers it. In fact, the agency has already taken great strides in turning that vision into reality.
In December 2025, EPA launched the Clean Air Act Resources for Data Centers webpage to provide data center developers, local communities and Tribes with a central location for Clean Air Act (CAA)-related resources. These resources provide state and private sector partners with regulatory information, guidance and technical tools that can assist with modeling, air quality permitting, and regulatory interpretations relevant for data centers and AI facility development.